Indonesian coffee potential grows unlimited

The Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, who is also a coffee connoisseur, said the potential in unlimited for the Indonesian coffee agriculture and industry.

In a press release from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Friday, the ambassador said the Australians and Indonesians enjoy drinking coffee, often in cozy cafes.

“As the third largest coffee producer and exporter in the world, Indonesia is a haven for coffee addicts,” he said.

He added the Australian Rural Development Program (PRISMA), which is part of the Australia Indonesia Partnership For Rural Economic Development (AIP-Rural), has helped more than 2,200 farmers and is expected to reach 10,000 coffee producers in 2018.

“I was amazed by the incredible coffee culture, where coffee can be cold fusion, pour-over or tubruk. And there’s also some inspiring latte foam art,” Grigson said.

“Tubruk” coffee is Indonesian-style coffee, in which coarse coffee grounds are boiled, along with solid sugar, resulting in a thick drink.

According to Grigson, during his stay in Indonesia, almost all coffee grown in the country was enjoyed by him, including Gayo coffee from Aceh, Toraja coffee from South Sulawesi, and Bajawa Flores coffee from East Nusa Tengggara.

“Jakartas thriving coffee culture not only makes it easier for me to get my coffee, but it opens up more opportunities for young people to enter the business. With many Indonesian baristas learning their art in Australia, this is a fusion of cultures we can all enjoy,” the ambassador said.

Along with the increase in coffee consumption worldwide, Indonesia, as the third largest coffee producer after Brazil and Vietnam, has a great opportunity to improve the quality and volume of coffee production, in order to meet the international demand for specialty coffee.

East Java province is estimated to have 54,300 coffee farmers, and a coffee production land area equivalent to 8.1 percent of the nation’s production area.

Meanwhile, East Nusa Tenggara province has about 51,752 coffee farmers and its area for coffee production reaches 57 percent of the nation’s production area.